Great Movie Ride Review Info at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

by josh on May 3, 2010

Great Movie Ride

Opened: May 1, 1989

Location: Hollywood Boulevard

Extra Magic Hours: Evening

FastPass+: Yes, high Tier 2 priority. Most guests will want to select Tower of Terror and/or Great Movie Ride over Star Tours because Star Tours enjoys a higher capacity with waits that build slower in the morning.

Type: Dark ride

Similar To: Living With the Land, Ellen’s Energy Adventure

Requirements: None

What to Expect: The Great Movie Ride is housed inside of a full-size replica of the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater. The preshow area features a winding queue with movie memorabilia and then another large room with a giant movie screen that plays short clips/trailers from popular (old) movies. If the line fills this room, you’ll probably see the same clips two times. Once you move through that queue area, you’ll be placed in another line where you’ll wait to board a 70 person slow-moving vehicle similar to the ones used at Ellen’s Energy Adventure. A live narrator will board the vehicle with you and help move the story along as you travel through famous movie scenes that Disney has recreated with the help of animatronic characters. Movies represented include Alien, Casablanca, Fantasia, Mary Poppins, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Public Enemy, and the Wizard of Oz. There are two possible storylines featured in the Great Movie Ride, but the scenes are the same for both. The gangster story is often the only one running, but an alternate cowboy scene is offered during busier times to increase capacity. Ask a cast member if the cowboy scene is available before boarding if you’d like to experience it.

Where to Sit: There really isn’t a bad seat in any of the vehicles. Each row seats about six adults and the view is best on either the far left or right sides. I prefer to sit in the middle because the narration is synced better. In the back, occasionally you won’t have your eyes on whatever the narrator is talking about because the vehicles are so long.

Scary Factor: Medium. The following contains possible spoilers: There are a few movie clips in the preshow and animatronic scenes during the ride that may be upsetting to youngsters. The creepiest is an animatronic scene from the movie Alien, where an alien lowers its head from the ceiling amidst darkness and fog. The Raiders of the Lost Ark scene also includes a floor covered in snakes and skeleton props. The gun fight between the villains and your live host may also startle kids who have trouble remembering none of it is “real.” The problem kids may run into is that the vehicles carrying the riders move slowly and the scenes surround the boats, so kids can’t look away – only close their eyes if they get scared. Most riders over the age of eight should have no problems and both scenes are over after just a minute or two.

When To Go: Great Movie Ride is located at the end of the main drag and guests arriving throughout the morning inevitably end up there after seeing the long waits at other rides. Most guests will want to rely on FastPass+ in the afternoon or ride after 6pm. Riding Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror early in the morning is more important than hitting the Great Movie Ride early because of the ride’s long duration and the fact that waits will be longer later in the day.

Expect to Wait: With the arrival of FastPass+, peak waits are often 20 to 40 minutes from 10:30am – 4pm. The later into the evening you ride, the shorter the line should be. When crowds are below average and Hollywood Studios is recommended, waits shouldn’t exceed 15 minutes most of the day.

Length:25 minutes

This Ride is the Reason the Hollywood Studios Exists: The Great Movie Ride was originally planned to be the centerpiece for a new Pavilion at Epcot. Instead, newly appointed CEO Michael Eisner thought the attraction was strong enough to plan an entire new theme park around it. He was only sort of right.

Rating: 6/10

Commentary: While we all may be able to appreciate the “classicness” of a Disney attraction, this is another ride that has remained the same for more than 20 years. Although the live acting adds a bit of excitement and uniqueness to each visit, the story usually comes across as forced and contrived. It’s still a pleasant, relaxing, air-conditioned attraction, but it’s not nearly as fun as it would be with updated scenes and movies. For example, there’s a scene from Tarzan, the Ape Man, which is regarded as one of the worst movies of all time. Does it really belong in a Disney theme park in the 21st century? On the other hand, The Public Enemy is an excellent gangster film, but how many people under the age of 75 have even seen it? There’s certainly nothing wrong with featuring the classics, but a serious refurbishment and a change in the narration would go a long way to making this a better attraction. As it stands, The Great Movie Ride is a must-do for anyone interested in experiencing one of the most classic Disney attractions, but it’s unlikely to impress anyone who only cares about the latest and greatest technology.

DH adores this ride. I look forward to riding it once each trip (and will tolerate it if DH wants another ride). But you are absolutely right – it needs to be updated. We were just talking about this when we were there last month. The “newest” movies in that are Alien (1979?) and Indiana Jones (1981) – there have been so many major technological advances (and many more great movies) that have been released since then.

Also, there is that tiny section on horror films – nothing happens, but there are some creepy characters lining the walls as you drive through.